Happy 2007!

I want thank all of you for your continued readership this past year and to wish you a vibrant & urban 2007.  I’m working on a summary of highlights from 2006 but in the meantime I wanted to say a few quick things.

While I received some nice accolades during 2006, what was truly satisfying for me personally is the way urban issues (architecture, planning, politics, education, etc…) were being discussed here and elsewhere.  In all the years I’ve lived in St. Louis I’ve not seen so much dialogue on the city & region as we saw in 2006.  We are becoming a more engaged community which will benefit us greatly in the long run.

In the short term it may appear to some of us that we’ve simply created a new form of chaos.   The reality is change does not always come through the “proper” channels or by working within the system.  Our system, by default, is opposed to change.  Future change will involve a clash of long-held tradition and new ideas, people will disagree.  It will not always be pretty.  2007 will include more of the same call for change, we have a good momentum going with urban-minded folks seeking to re-shape this city back to an urban form that accomodates people as well as their various modes of transportation.

On a personal note I look forward to graduate classes starting at SLU as I continue to work toward a Masters in Urban Planning & Real Estate Development.  Work wise I will continue as a real estate broker-salesperson helping people buy & sell properties, consulting on residential design as well as urban planning (offering my critique before construction).

Again, thank you so much for reading Urban Review STL in 2006.  I look forward to bringing you many more issues for debate in 2007.

– Steve